Free or reduced-price school meals; Internet-based school meal applications

The department may contract for the development and implementation of an Internet-based application for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program under 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 210 and the School Breakfast Program under 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 220 or otherwise make available to public schools an Internet-based application for those programs. The department may make available to public schools an Internet‑based application for free or reduced-price meals developed under this section on a publicly accessible website. The department shall make any Internet-based application developed pursuant to this section in an understandable and uniform format and, to the maximum extent practicable, in a language that parents and legal guardians can understand. A public school may make an Internet-based application available for school meal applications on the public school's publicly accessible website. All public schools shall continue to distribute paper applications for school meals to all students. A public school is responsible for processing that school's online applications. Data submitted through an Internet-based application may not be visible to the department and must be transmitted directly to the applicable public school or other agency making the determination for a student's eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. All public schools shall accept data submitted through an Internet-based application.